Shoelace tightener



w: s. PAGODA 2,893,090

SHOELACE TIGHTENER Filed Jan. 24, 1958 July 7, 1959 A ml I524 'IIIIIII Q1/1111!!! 74 671% ade By I.

. ATTORNEY INVENTOR United States Patent F SHOELACE TIGHTENER Walter S. Pagoda, Manville, NJ.

Application January 24, 1958, Serial No. 711,046

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-117) This invention relates to a tightener attachment for use with shoelaces and shoes, primarily oxford-type shoes, and has for its primary object to provide a tightener through which extends the two end portions of a shoelace and which is capable of being moved relative to the end portions of the shoelace for tightening the instep portion of a shoe, to which the shoelace is connected, and which tightener is adjustable for clamping portions of the shoelace therein for holding the instep of the shoe tightened to a desired extent, and which will effectively prevent slippage of the shoelace, for maintaining the shoe tightened to a desired extent on the foot.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe-' lace tightener which will eliminate the need for tying the ends of the shoelace together, thus preventing a shoe becoming loose on the foot as a result of the shoelace becoming untied, as frequently occurs.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a shoelace tightener which by eliminating the necessity of tying the ends of the shoelace together will eliminate the possibility of said ends becoming knotted together and which frequently causes considerable inconvenience in connection with the removal of a shoe.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the instep portionof an oxford-type shoe showing the tightener, in side elevation, applied to the end portions of a shoelace and in a released position;

Figure 2 is a top plane view of the parts as shown in Figure 1 taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged substantially horizontal sectional view or the tightener, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tightener, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the tightener, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 55 of Figure 3, but showing the tightener in a locked position;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the tightener, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the tightener taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 77 of Figure 2, and

Figure 8 is an enlarge-d cross sectional view through a part of the tightener.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the shoelace tightener in its entirety is designated generally 10 and includes an elongated rigid channel shaped bottom section 11 including a substantially flat bottom 12 and corresponding upstanding substantially parallel side walls 13 and 14. The tightener 10 also includes a top plate Patented July 7, 1959 15 which rests upon the side walls 13 and 14 and which combines with the bottom section 11 to form the tightener housing. The side edges of the top wall 15 are provided with notches 16 to receive projections 17 which extend upwardly from the upper edges of the side walls 13 and 14 and which are clamped in the notches 16 for securing the top wall to the side Wals. The bottom wall 12 is provided adjacent each end thereof with a pair of trans- .versely spaced openings 18 and the top wall 15 has corresponding openings 19, which align with the openings 18, as seen in Figures 4, 5 and 7.

A clamping bar 20 is slidably mounted in the housing 11, 15 for movement longitudinally thereof and fits relatively snug between the side walls 13 and 14. The clamping bar 20 is provided adjacent each end thereof with a pair of transversely spaced openings 21 which align with the openings 18 and 19, in one position of the bar 20 within the housing 11, 15, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The bar 20 is provided with a longitudinally elongated notch or recess 22 which opens outwardly of one longitudinal edge thereof and which has an inner edge disposed longitudinally of the bar 20 and which is provided with teeth to form a rack 23. The notch 22 is disposed between the openings 21, located adjacent each end of the bar 20.

A shaft 24 has spaced portions journaled in aligned openings 25 of the bottom 12 and top Wall 15. A pinion 26 is fixed to the shaft 24, between the walls 12 and 15 and fits loosely in the recess or notch 22 and meshes with the rack teeth 23. One end of a handle 27 is de-.

- atachably secured non-rotatably to the upper end of the above the top wall 15. 15 is provided with raised tits or protuberances 28 which a are disposed in spaced apart relation to one another in an are around the shaft 24 and so that the free end of the handle 27 is swingably movable thereover. The

handle 27 has a transversely rounded underside 29, as I seen in Figure 8, which is adapted to ride over the protuberances 28 and to engage between two adjacent protuberances for releasably retaining the handle 27 in different adjusted positions relative to the top wall 15. a For the purpose of illustrating the application and use of the shoelace tightener 10, an instep portion 30 of an oxford-type shoe has been illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 including the conventional slit or opening 31 which extends longitudinally along the top of the instep portion 7 and which has eyelets 32 on both sides thereof which are engaged by a conventional shoelace 33. The instep portion 30 is shown provided with five eyelets 32 on each side of the center slit thereof and the lace 33 is laced in a conventional manner through the three lower eyelets on each side of the instep portion and the two end portions of the shoelace 33 extend upwardly from the third or middle eyelet 32, on each side of the slit 31, through the aligned openings 18, 21, 19 of one end of the tightener 10, which are disposed thereabove, as best seen in Figures 4 and 7. The two end portions of the shoelace are then turned back and extend downwardly through the aligned openings 19, 21, 18 of the opposite end of the tightener 10 and thence downwardly through the two uppermost eyelets 32. The two shoelace ends are then knotted or otherwise anchored, as seen at 34 in Figures 1 and 7, to said uppermost eyelets 32.

With the tightener 10 app-lied as illustrated in the drawing and as previously described, and with the openings of the bar 20 in alignment with the openings 18 and 19, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 7, the tightener 10 can be slid upwardly on the two loop portions 33, as seen in Figure 1, so that the slit portion 31 can be spread for putting on or taking off the shoe. After the shoe has been 3 applied, the loop portions 33 can be engaged with a finger of one hand and the other'hand can be employed for pressing the tightener 10 downwardly against the slit portion .31. By then exerting an upward pull .on the loop portions 33', .the slit portion 31 of the shoe will'be drawn together to a desired tightness, since the distance between the transversely spaced openings 18 is less than the distance between the'laterally spaced eyelets 32. The handle '27 is then turned clockwise from its position of Figure 2 to cause the bar 20 to move from itsposition of Figure 4 to its position of Figure '5. This movement of the bar 20 displaces the openings '21 out of alignment with'the openings 18 and 19 so that parts of the 'lace loops 33' are clamped in the tightener 10, as seen in Figure for thus clamping the shoelace, tightened to a desired extent. The clockwise movement of the'handleJZ7 by which the pinion 26 is turned to move the 'bar .20

from its position of Figure 4 to vits position of Figure *5, will cause a portion of the underside '29of the handle to spring over one or more of the protuberances '28 and assume a position between two of the protuberauces, as illustrated in Figure 8, for thus .locking the shoelace tightener in a shoelace clamping position. The two loop portions 33 which are disposed above the tightener 10 are then permitted to fall outwardly against the instep .30 .of the shoe, .as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

To remove the shoe, it is merely necessary to turn the handle 27 in the opposite .direction or counterclockwise back to its position of Figure'2 to return the bar '20 to a position with the openings 21 thereof in alignment with the openings 18 and '19, so that the tightener 10 can bedisplaced upwardly on the loop portions 33' to its position of Figure 1 so that the slit'31 of the instep can be .opened to a desired extent.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resortedto, without departing from the functionor scope of the invention as hereinafter defined "by the appended claims.

.I claim as myinvention:

1. A shoelace tightener comprising an elongated housing including a top wall and a bottom wall, said walls having transversely spaced aligned openings adjacent the ends thereof, a clamping bar mounted for sliding movement longitudinally within said housing and having openings aligning with said top and bottom wall openings in one position of the clamping bar .in the housing, said aligned openings being adapted to accommodate looped portions vof a shoelace, a shaft extending through and journaled in the top and bottom walls, a pinion fixed to said .shaft between said walls, .sa'id bar having a toothed portion forming a rack meshing -with said pinion, and .a handle fixed to .an end of the shaft and disposed externally of the top wall for turning the shaft and pinion for displacing said bar longitudinally of the housing for moving the openings thereof out of full registry with the top and bottom wall openings for clamping said loop portions of the shoelace in the shoelace tightener.

2. A shoelace tightener as in claim 1, and latching means engageable with said handle for releasably retaining the handle against swinging movement relative to the housing to maintain the bar "in different longitudinally adjusted positions relative to the housing.

3. A shoelace tightener comprising an elongated housing including a bottom wall and a top wall, said walls having aligned transversely spaced openings adjacent each end thereof, a clamping bar mounted for sliding movement longitudinally in the housing and having openings adjacent the ends thereof aligning with said wall openings in one position of the bar relative to the housing, said aligned openings being adapted to accommodate looped portions of a shoelace, said bar having a recessed portion spaced from the ends thereof, a shaft extending through said recessed portion and journaled insaid walls, a pinion fixed .to the shaft between said walls and disposed .in said recessed portion, said -bar having a toothed edge forming .a rack extending longitudinally of the bar and constituting an edge of said recessed portion and disposed .in meshing engagement with the pinion, and a handle fixed to .the shaft and disposed externally of the top wall and swingable relative to the housing for turning the pinion to move the bar longitudinally of the housing for displacing the bar openings out of full alignment with the wall openings for clamping the looped portions of the shoelace in the tightener.

4. .A shoelace tig'htener as defined by claim 3, and latch means supported 'by the top wall and disposed to engage said handle torreleasably latching the handle in different positions relative to the housing for retaining said clamping bar in different longitudinally adjusted positions relative to the housing.

ReferencesCited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 178,449 Lindemann June 6, .1876 1,088,067 Forbes Feb. 24, 1914 1,371,170 Johnson Mar. .8, 1921 1,379,093 'Freeberg May .24, 192.1 1,489,126 Jansizian Apr. 1, 19.24 2,134,350 Woolley Oct. 25, 1938 2,189,865 Petersen Feb. 13, 1940 2,236,506 Hirsch Apr. 1, .1941 2,243,737 Marinetti May 27, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,232 Great Britain Sept. 6, 1882 641,586 Germany Feb. 5, 1937 

